A Blepharoplasty is a type of surgery that repairs droopy eyelids and may involve removing excess skin, muscle and fat. As you age, your eyelids stretch, and the muscles supporting them weaken. As a result, excess fat may gather above and below your eyelids, causing sagging eyebrows, droopy upper lids and bags under your eyes.
Besides making you look older, severely sagging skin around your eyes can reduce your side vision (peripheral vision), especially the upper and outer parts of your field of vision. Blepharoplasty can reduce or eliminate these vision problems and make your eyes appear younger and more alert.
Before the procedure
Blepharoplasty is usually done in an outpatient setting. Your consultant will inject numbing medication into your eyelids and administers intravenous medication to help you relax.
During the procedure
If you have surgery on your upper and lower eyelids, your consultant generally works on your upper lids first. On the lower lid, your consultant makes a cut just below the lashes in your eye's natural crease or inside the lower lid. If your upper eyelid droops close to your pupil, your surgeon may do blepharoplasty with a procedure called ptosis that provides additional support to the eyebrow muscle.
After the procedure
After surgery you spend time in a recovery room, where you are monitored for complications. You can leave later that day to recuperate at home.
After surgery you may temporarily experience:
- Blurred vision from the lubricating ointment applied to your eyes
- Watering eyes
- Light sensitivity
- Double vision
- Puffy, numb eyelids
- Swelling and bruising similar to having black eyes
- Pain or discomfort